Early complications after biliary enteric anastomosis for benign diseases: A retrospective analysis

Background:Biliary-enteric anastomosis (BEA) is a common surgical procedure performed for the management of biliary obstruction or leakage that results from a variety of benign and malignant diseases. Complications following BEA are not rare. We aimed to determine the incidence and the factors associated with early complications occurring after BEA for benign diseases. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all Patients who underwent BEA for benign diseases at our institution between January 1988 and December 2009. The primary outcome was early post operative complication. Logistic regression analysis was done to identify factors predicting the occurrence of complications. Results: Records of 79 Patients were reviewed. There were 34 (43%) males and 45 (57% females). Majority (53%) had choledocholithiasis with impacted stone or distal stricture, followed by traumatic injury to the biliary system (33%). Thirty-four Patients (43%) underwent a hepaticojejunostomy, 19 Patients (24%) underwent a choledochojejunostomy, and choledochoduodenostomy was performed in 26 Patients (33%). Early complications occurred in 39 (49%) Patients - 41% had local complications and 25% had systemic complications. Most frequent complications were wound infection (23%) and bile leak (10%). Four (5%) Patients died. On multivariate analysis, low serum albumin level (odds ratio = 16, 95% CI = 1.14-234.6) and higher ASA levels (odds ratio = 7, 95% CI: 1.22-33.34) were the independent factors predicting the early complications following BEA. Conclusions: Half of the Patients who underwent BEA for benign diseases had complications in our population. This high incidence may be explained by the high incidence of hypoalbuminemia and the high-risk group who underwent operation

Steering Angle Prediction Techniques for Autonomous Ground Vehicles: A Review

Unintentional lane departure accidents are one of the biggest reasons for the causalities that occur due to human errors. By incorporating lane-keeping features in vehicles, many accidents can be avoided. The lane-keeping system operates by auto-steering the vehicle in order to keep it within the desired lane, despite of changes in road conditions and other interferences. Accurate steering angle prediction is crucial to keep the vehicle within the road boundaries, which is a challenging task. The main difficulty in this regard is to identify the drivable road area on heterogeneous road types varying in color, texture, illumination conditions, and lane marking types. This strenuous problem can be addressed by two approaches, namely, 'computer-vision-based approach' and 'imitation-learning-based approach'. To the best of our knowledge, at present, there is no such detailed review study covering both the approaches and their related optimization techniques. This comprehensive review attempts to provide a clear picture of both approaches of steering angle prediction in the form of step by step procedures. The taxonomy of steering angle prediction has been presented in the paper for a better comprehension of the problem. We have also discussed open research problems at the end of the paper to help the researchers of this area to discover new research horizons

Structural characterization, optical properties and in vitro bioactivity of mesoporous erbium-doped hydroxyapatite

We report the successful synthesis of mesoporous erbium doped hydroxyapatite (Er-HA, Ca10-xEr2x/3?x/3(PO4)6(OH)2) by using a rapid and efficient microwave assisted wet precipitation method. Characterization techniques like X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR), X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF), Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to determine lattice parameters, particle size, degree of crystallinity, elemental composition, surface area and morphology of Er-HA. Results confirmed the formation of crystalline Er-HA having crystallite size of 25 nm with spherical and rod like morphology, while the TEM analysis confirmed the mesoporous nature of the particles. Optical spectra of Er-HA contained seven electron transitions, whereas blue shift in the energy band gap (Eg) was observed upon increase in Er3+ content. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra contained green and red emissions. In vitro bioactivity study conducted in SBF revealed that the incorporation of Er3+ ions into HA structure lead to the faster discharge of Er3+ ions resulting in intense growth of apatite grains on the surface of the Er-HA pellets with Ca/P ratio of 1.72

QoS-Based DWBA Algorithm for NG-EPON

The next-generation Ethernet passive optical network (NG-EPON) is basically classified into two architectures on the basis of the wavelength sharing by the optical network units (ONUs). The single scheduling domain (SSD) and multi-scheduling domain (MSD) EPON are the two different design architectures for NG-EPON. A vital task in NG-EPON is to design dynamic wavelength bandwidth allocation (DWBA) algorithms that can meet the future demands of the network subscribers. A number of DWBA algorithms have been designed for time and wavelength division multiplex (TWDM) EPON. The existing DWBA algorithms for TWDM-EPON could be used in MSD-EPON by making necessary parametric changes. The design and implementation of new DWBA algorithms for MSD-EPON are still required specifically. In this paper, we have proposed a quality of service (QoS)-based DWBA algorithm for NG-EPON. We have comparatively analyzed our proposed DWBA with the existing algorithms like earlier finished time (EFT), weighted bipartite matching (WBM), and earlier finished time with void filling (EFT-VF). The results show that our proposed DWBA algorithm performs better as compared to EFT, WBM, and EFT-VF on the basis of average packet delay and average completion time for NG-EPON

Barium and fluorine doped synthetic hydroxyapatite: Characterization and in-vitro bioactivity analysis

We have successfully doped hydroxyapatite (HA) with barium (Ba2+) and fluoride (F-) ions to furnish Ca10-xBax(PO4)6(OH)2-yFy, (where x = 0-1 and y = 1) by using microwave assisted wet precipitation method. The resulting powders were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) to study phase purity, particle morphology, elemental composition, specific surface area and in-vitro ion release. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of pure phase barium doped fluorine-hydroxyapatite with increased lattice parameters but with reduced degree of crystallinity. FESEM analysis confirmed the formation of spherical nanoparticles with homogenous distribution of elements with reduction in crystallite size when compared to HA, while BET results showed an increase in specific surface area upon increased degree of Ba doping. In-vitro bioactivity study carried out in SBF revealed that the incorporation of Ba2+ ions into HA structure lead to the faster release of Ca2+ ions resulting in faster formation of apatite layer

In-vitro characterization of antibacterial bioactive glass containing ceria

Several compositions of bioactive glass (BG) containing ceria were synthesized from chloride precursor using quick alkali sol–gel method. XRD data revealed the presence of ceria in 5 and 10 mol% Ce samples. SEM and EDX characterization confirmed the nano-size and elemental composition of all samples, while FTIR data indicated that high Ce content has disrupted the silicate network of BG. UV absorption spectrum showed that ceria in BG samples is present in +3 and +4 oxidation states, depending on the initial cerium content. Nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm confirmed the mesoporosity of the samples. 5 and 10 mol% Ce samples exhibited significant antibacterial properties compared to 1Ce and 50Si samples. All samples induced the formation of apatite particles with Ca/P ratio close to 1.67 upon immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF), confirming their good bioactivity. For the first time, this study has demonstrated that cerium is a promising candidate to impart BG with excellent antibacterial properties without compromising its bioactivity

Bioactive glass: an in-vitro comparative study of doping with nanoscale copper and silver particles

Bioactive glasses (BGs) based on 50SiO2-45CaO-5P2O5 system doped with 1, 5, and 10 mol% CuO or Ag2O were separately synthesized using quick alkali sol-gel method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis of the samples confirmed the formation of nano-sized BGs, whereas Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra showed characteristic peaks for silica and phosphate groups. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the heat-treated (700°C) samples revealed the presence of crystalline metallic silver phase in all Ag-doped samples, while the XRD pattern of Cu-doped and control sample (50Si-45CaO-5P2O5) also heat-treated at 700°C confirmed their amorphous nature. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) studies along with Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis confirmed the successful incorporation of Cu and Ag in bioglass. Antibacterial properties of the synthesized BGs were investigated by quantitative viable count method, and the results were related to the ion release profiles of the samples studied by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS). Fast initial release of Ag observed in this study makes Ag-doped BG a better rapid bacteria-killing agent than Cu-doped BG, which exhibited a prolonged release of ions, suggesting that it may be a better candidate for long-term antibacterial protection

Evaluating the impact of Nalla Lai contamination on drinking quality of groundwater in Rawalpindi city, Pakistan

The scientific report assessed the impact of Nalla Lai wastewater on the groundwater quality of Rawalpindi city, Pakistan. A total of 19 wastewater and 49 groundwater samples were collected during September and October 2016 and have been analyzed in the laboratory to detect different water quality parameters. The results revealed that BOD (biological oxygen demand), COD (chemical oxygen demand), iron, and cadmium values in many wastewater samples were beyond the recommended value of the National Environmental Quality Standards 1997 (NEQs, 1997). In groundwater samples, the results of iron, cadmium, manganese, zinc, TDS (total dissolved solids), pH, color, and hardness were found elevated from the standard values in one or more samples as compared with the National Standard for Drinking Water Quality, 2010 (NSDWQ, 2010). The decreasing metal concentration order in groundwater samples was iron > zinc > manganese > copper > cadmium. Very interestingly, hardness was found at elevated levels in 75% of investigated groundwater samples. Microbiological contamination was detected in 83% of the analyzed groundwater samples. The study revealed the percolation of heavy metals and microbial contamination in the bore water, tube wells, hand pumps, springs, and hand-dug wells located nearby the Nalla Lai wastewater stream. HIGHLIGHTS This scientific study evaluates the impact of Nalla Lai wastewater stream on the groundwater quality.; BOD, COD, iron and cadmium, manganese, zinc, TDS, pH, color, and hardness concentration were detected elevated in one or more samples as compared with the National Standards.; Hardness was elevated in 75% samples and microbial contamination was investigated in 85% of the analyzed groundwater samples.